Female circumcision heightens childbirth risks: WHO study

External Links

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

Female circumcision can complicate childbirth, leading to higher mortality among infants, officials from the World Health Organization said Friday.

It's estimated more than 100 million women and girls have had the procedure, also called female genital mutilation.

In cultures where it is accepted, female genital mutilation is practised by followers of all religious beliefs.

It is usually performed on girls before the age of 10 by a traditional practitioner with crude instruments and without anesthetic, the agency said.

It usually involves removal of the clitoris or other external genitalia for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons.

Having health professionals perform the procedure to ensure it's done in a clean or safe setting endorses an unacceptable practice, said Joy Phumaphi, WHO assistant director general for family and community health.

"That is the worst possible thing we can do,"Phumaphi told Reuters. "It is worse than turning a blind eye."